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Heroes of Contentiousness #3 - Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette @ Amazon

After two critically acclaimed features — The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation — filmmaker Sofia Coppola dove into the past for a highly stylized portrait of Marie Antoinette. Coppola provided a sympathetic look at the teenage queen most famous for her extravagant lifestyle and bloody death.

The resulting biopic is certainly original, sharing the same lush camera-work of her other films. Whether, though, the film is any good is a matter of debate. Marie Antoinette’s FCQ (Film Contentiousness Quotient — info here) is 51.28 — pretty high.

For me, the debate is whether Coppola’s gifts as a maker of gorgeous films makes up for her weakness as a storyteller. And I’d say it doesn’t in this case. The film was wonderful to look at, but unforgivably boring. Coppola should stick to strong source material, such as Jeffrey Eugenides‘ Virgin Suicides. So, that’s one vote in the negative column — have your say!

 

Here are a couple opinions from Criticker users.

mikeparasol: “A beautiful film, filled with drama and absurdist humour. Superb sublime performances from Dunst (usually terrible) and Schwarztman. The soundtrack is perfect, matching the atmosphere of the film.”

FitFortDanga: “Coppola is so focused on creating a contemporary context for Marie Antoinette’s life — intentional anachronisms, modern speech and mannerisms, hip soundtrack, unorthodox casting choices — that she forgets to imbue her film with emotional content. It plods along, going “Check it out! A song by Gang of Four!Converse sneakers! Asia Argento!” but rarely gives you a reason to care about what’s happening. And Dunst really does kinda suck as an actress.”

Last week’s poll is closed, and by a whopping 72-27% margin, Dumb and Dumber has been pronounced GREAT.

 

And just to prove that we don’t always have to disagree, here are two more films that are the opposite of contentious:
Unanimously Crap (FCQ 2.01): Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. CGI renderings of beloved childhood memories, GET THEE GONE. You’re ruining my life.
Unanimously Sweet (FCQ 2.77): Touch of Evil. Starting to notice that all unanimously great films are from long ago?


Dario Argento’s Giallo

Dariao Argento @ Amazon

Italian horror master Dario Argento, most well-known for creating the subgenre of movies called giallo, is currently at work on a movie called… Giallo.

Nothing like mining past success!

Whether the movie is in the same vein as Argento’s stylish, bloody masterpieces from the 70s is questionable — it will star Adrien Brody as a detective on the hunt for a serial killer named “Giallo”. An initial image from the film looks promising!

We thought it’d be a good time for a mini-retrospective on Dario Argento — here are his top 5 Giallo films as ranked by the users of Criticker:

#1 - Deep Red (1975) - Avg Tier 7.10

A musician witnesses the murder of a famous psychic, and then teams up with a fiesty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen killer bent on keeping a dark secret buried.

 
#2 - The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - Avg Tier 6.84

A writer is stalked by a serial killer after witnessing a murder attempt on one woman's life.

 
#3 - Suspiria (1977) - Avg Tier 6.82

A newcomer to a fancy ballet academy gradually comes to realize that the staff of the school are actually a coven of witches bent on chaos and destruction.

 
#4 - Opera (1987) - Avg Tier 6.59

A young operetta is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself.

 
#5 - Inferno (1980) - Avg Tier 6.39

Semi-sequal to 'Suspiria' has a American college student in Rome, and his sister in New York investigating a series of killings in both locations where their resident addresses are the domain of two covens of witches.

 

DVD Report - July 1st, 2008

There’s a little something for everyone in this week’s batch of new releases to DVD. Whether you’re in the mood for action (Vantage Point), comedy (Drillbit Taylor), drama (City of Men) or arthouse (My Blueberry Nights), you’ll be happy. None of these films were major box-office successes, but they all seem to be worth a viewing — all, that is, except Meet the Browns, which was heavily panned by the handful of Criticker users who bothered watching it.

Vantage Point - 153 Rankings - Average Tier 4.56
With a Rashomon narrative style, the attempted assassination of the president is told from five different perspectives. Vantage Point @ Amazon

My Blueberry Nights - 97 Rankings - Average Tier 5.40
A young woman (Jones) takes a soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love while encountering a series of offbeat characters along the way. My Blueberry Nights @ Amazon

Drillbit Taylor - 43 Rankings - Average Tier 3.49
Three kids hire a low-budget bodyguard to protect them from the playground bully. Drillbit Taylor @ Amazon

City of Men - 18 Rankings - Average Tier 4.78
Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers’ pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio’s favelas. City of Men @ Amazon

Meet the Browns - 5 Rankings - Average Tier 1.2
A single mom takes her family to Georgia for the funeral of her father — a man she never met. There, her clan is introduced to the crass, fun-loving Brown family. Meet the Browns @ Amazon

Heroes of Contentiousness #2 - Dumb & Dumber

Dumb & Dumber @ Amazon

Hilarious or idiotic? It probably depends on the age you were, the first time you saw Dumb & Dumber. This film has strongly split Criticker users — which an FCQ (Film Contentiousness Quotient, see here for details) of 52.37 can attest to.

I saw it in the theater when I was 17: the perfect age for raunchy fart jokes. For most of the film, I was doubled-over in laughter, and still remember the side cramps I had for hours afterwards. Jim Carrey has never been funnier. Although the humor is puerile and the plot non-existent, I can profess nothing but love for a film which revels so joyously in idiocy.

But this isn’t about what I think — it’s up to you to decide: Dumb & Dumber, Great or Terrible?

 

Here are a couple dueling opinions from Criticker users.

Ytadel: “What makes it funny is Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels’ genuine commitment to the material. They don’t half-ass it, thus, hilarity ensues. Guilty pleasure? No, I don’t feel that guilty about it.”

Zoidoid: “Comedy of the worst sort — juvenile jokes and bathroom humor. The highlight of this film is definitely the song “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave appearing in one of the scenes”

Last week’s poll is closed, and we have decided that Saw is GREAT, 57% to 43%.

 

And just to prove that we don’t always have to disagree, here are two more films that are the opposite of contentious:
Unanimously Crap (FCQ 0.48): Alone in the Dark. Perhaps the worst video game adaptation of all time — and that’s saying something.
Unanimously Sweet (FCQ 2.29): Double Indemnity. Pure entertainment.

Burn After Reading - Advance Trailer

Burn After Reading Poster
Click for Full Image
Burn After Reading is shaping up to be the discerning film fan’s favorite film of 2008. The Coen Brothers directing Brad Pitt and George Clooney in a wacky crime caper… and let’s throw in Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand. It’s as though the Cohens are ticking off a list titled “How to Excite Movie Buffs”.

A dark spy-comedy from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. An ousted CIA official’s memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.

Color me skeptical. The Coens’ films often leave me cold, especially when they dip into comedy. It’s almost as though they’re too smart to really pull it off… But, this trailer is pretty good. We’ll see.

The film is due out in September, so we haven’t yet added it to Criticker.

Official Film Website


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DVD Report - June 24th, 2008

This week’s crop of new films to DVD is a lot more robust than last week’s, with at least 2 films which should be on everyone’s must-see list: Persepolis, an Iranian animation based on the best selling graphic novel, and In Bruges, a great crime flick that flew under the radar last year. And how much do we love it that more Criticker users have seen both these two films than lame box-office champ Definitely, Maybe? Criticker users isn’t no dummiez!

Criticker Pick!Persepolis - 245 Rankings - Average Tier 7.64
The poignant coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl, which begins during the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis @ Amazon

10,000 B.C. - 116 Rankings - Average Tier 2.56
A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter’s journey through uncharted territory to secure the future of his tribe. 10,000 B.C. @ Amazon

 
Criticker Pick!In Bruges - 87 Rankings - Average Tier 7.21
Bruges, the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travellers from all over the world. But for hit men Ray and Ken, it could be their final destination; a difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple of weeks… In Bruges @ Amazon

Definitely, Maybe - 59 Rankings - Average Tier 5.22
Will Hayes, a 30-something Manhattan dad is in the midst of a divorce when his 10 year old daughter, Maya, starts to question him about his life before marriage. Maya wants to know absolutely everything about how her parents met and fell in love. Will’s story begins in 1992… Definitely, Maybe @ Amazon

The Spiderwick Chronicles - 49 Rankings - Average Tier 5.02
Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. The Spiderwick Chronicles @ Amazon

Charlie Bartlett - 49 Rankings - Average Tier 4.81
Charlie Bartlett, a wealthy, intelligent 17-year-old, has been kicked out of nearly every boarding school in town and is now enrolled in the local public high school, headed by the reluctant Principal Gardner. Initially struggling to find a place in the new school, Charlie eventually establishes himself as the supportive listener who dispenses well-needed advice… Charlie Bartlett @ Amazon

AFI - Top Ten by Genre

The American Film Institute has released its 10 Top 10 - the top ten films in ten genres.

http://www.afi.com/10top10

Winners include 2001 (Sci-Fi), Snow White (Animation) and Vertigo (Mystery). Take some time to browse their lists, you’ll surely find entrants to disagree with (Shrek?!!), but overall it’s hard to find too much fault.

What do you all think? Any glaring omissions?